
United States
Americas
Advocacy for United States
What’s Happening?
The United States established its contemporary refugee resettlement and asylum system in 1980 and, in the decades that followed, developed further protection pathways for migrants, particularly for children, victims of crimes, and people from countries in grave crisis. Since the mid-2010s, the United States has resettled fewer refugees from abroad and limited access to asylum at the southern border. The Biden administration has continued this trend while increasing access to temporary protection and parole pathways.
What Must Be Done?
Refugees International is calling on the United States to end its enforcement approach to asylum at the border, strengthen its refugee resettlement program, and expand pathways to protection to additional forcibly displaced people. After arrival, asylum seekers should be given prompt ability to work and needed services and support.
Latest Reports and Briefs

118th Congress: Humanitarian Engagement for Displaced Populations
April 20, 2023

Mixed Blessing: Guatemalan Experiences under the New Central American Minors Program
March 15, 2023

Supplementary Protection Pathways to the United States: Lessons from the Past for Today’s Humanitarian Parole Policies
November 10, 2022
Latest Statements and News
Refugees International Welcomes TPS for Venezuelans, Biden Admin Measures that ‘Affirm American Commitment to Humanitarian Protection’
September 21, 2023

Statement for the Record | “Unlocking America’s Potential: How Immigration Fuels Economic Growth and Our Competitive Advantage”
September 14, 2023
Refugees International Calls for Emergency Supplemental Submission to Congress to Support Humanitarian Needs
August 3, 2023
Latest Opinions, Q&As, and Explainers
Q&A: What Is at Stake as the Biden Administration’s CHNV Parole Program Goes on Trial?
August 24, 2023

“I Tell People: Remember Where You Came From”: An Interview with Fernando “Fernie” Quiroz of the Arizona-California Humanitarian Coalition in Yuma
July 25, 2023

A Legal Win for Access to Asylum in the United States: Q&A with Yael Schacher
April 17, 2023
Latest Advocacy Letters

World Refugee Day 2023: Prioritize Family Reunification for Refugee Families
June 20, 2023

The Biden Administration Must Immediately Stop Conducting Credible Fear Interviews in CBP Custody
June 5, 2023

Recommendations for the Shelter and Services Program: Making Possible Sustainable, Orderly, and Safe Reception at the US-Mexico Border
April 24, 2023
Latest Events and Testimonies
Latest Perspectives and Commentaries

Comment for the Federal Register on the Biden Administration’s Proposed Asylum Ban
March 28, 2023

“This Cause is Personal to Every One of Us”: An Exchange with Fresh Start Refugee Assistance Center
December 22, 2021
#WeCanWelcome: Meet Lorenzo Ortiz, a Mexican American Pastor Welcoming Asylum Seekers
April 7, 2021
Featured Image: A Guatemalan father and daughter who are seeking asylum rest in a shelter on May 15, 2019 in El Paso, Texas. © Mario Tama/Getty Images
Take Action
Support Afghans Seeking Safety
Afghans evacuated to the United States deserve permanency and security to rebuild their lives here. Congress must pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.
